Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a primer for dentists.

BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW: In 2005 in the United States, an estimated 94,370 new, invasive infections and 18,650 deaths were associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA); most of these infections were in people with exposures in health care settings. MRSA also has emerged as a community-based pathogen, causing primarily skin infections that are not life-threatening, but occasionally causing more severe and invasive infections. The authors describe the history of MRSA; identify populations at greatest risk of experiencing MRSA colonization and infection; compare characteristics of MRSA infections occurring in health care and community settings; and summarize strategies, based on U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations and the literature, to prevent transmission of MRSA in dental offices. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Standard infection control precautions should be enforced strictly in all ambulatory care settings, including dental offices, to prevent facility-based transmission of MRSA and other infectious agents.